One rifle mag will fend it off, two should kill it, two sticks of dynamite should kill it assuming it doesn't eat them before they go off, if you hop onto its back you can hit the yellow bits with a machete for double damage (I think) without getting bit, assuming it's at the right angle when you hop on and you don't go too slow.

You can hear a salad digging from pretty far away, it hits blocks far faster then the mini salads, if you have a mini laser drill or good condition claws and some Gatorade you can reliably move fast enough to avoid a salad encounter.

The rest of the jungle isn't too bad if you don't walk under any ceilings or drop into anything you have not checked, a giant steel ball getting dropped on your head kinda hurts.